THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603210150
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
It's forensics; it's not debatable. The Princess Anne High School team of talkers captured the Eastern Regional championship on March 9 when the Cavalier forensics squad took four first-place and two third-place medals in eight events.
This Saturday six team members will go on to compete in the state tournament in Charlottesville.
Although debate and forensics are often confused, or mentioned synonymously, there is a difference, said Marie Wells, English teacher and forensic coach at Princess Anne. Debate consists of two areas: policy and Lincoln-Douglas. Forensics is a much broader field and includes humorous interpretation, poetry reading, spelling, extemporaneous speaking and storytelling.
Wells attributed her team's success to its ``tremendous diversity of talent.''
Allison Snider, a junior, took first place in the domestic extemporaneous speaking category. She spoke against the flat tax so recently in the news because of Steve Forbes' bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
``I think it's a bad idea,'' she said. ``The rich would actually pay less tax. How is that going to reduce the deficit?''
Extemporaneous speakers draw categories prior to the competition and have 30 minutes to organize and present their thoughts on that topic.
Snider is one of 25 Princess Anne students who participate in forensics, said Wells, who has coached the team for five years. She is assisted by first-year English teacher Betsy Newman.
James Fogarty took third place in foreign extemporaneous speaking in the region.
Team captain Kelly Engel, a senior and third-year forensic team member, will repeat the poetry reading that earned her a first-place finish at the regional competition. ``Half-Hanged Mary,'' a poem by contemporary writer Margaret Atwood tells of a woman who is hanged but survives.
Newman suggested the poem to Engel. ``I thought it fit her personality perfectly,'' said Newman.
Stuart Perkins captured a first place in humorous interpretation by performing a Monty Python sketch, ``The Bookshop.''
Amy Mendenhall delivered original oratory, ``Adolescence and Self-Esteem,'' to capture third place in that category.
Sarah Ravan, a sophomore, took first place in the region in storytelling.
Wells said the credit should go to the students. ``I just try to evoke the best from them. It is a wonderful pleasure to work with students like these.''
Students from other Virginia Beach high schools competing in the state forensic championship are:
Bayside - Travis Becker and Elizabeth Andersen, duo interpretation.
Cox - Jennifer Dziura, foreign extemporaneous speaking.
First Colonial - Katherine Crommelin and Kendra Todd, original oratory.
Green Run - Spring Houpt, spelling.
Kellam - Jennifer Duberstein, dramatic interpretation, and Kimberly Allard, prose interpretation.
Kempsville - Patrick Miller, foreign extemporaneous speaking.
Salem - Shona Mitchell, storytelling. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by GARY EDWARDS
Representing Princess Anne High at the state forensics tournament
are (from left): teacher Betsy Newman, Stuart Perkins, James
Fogarty, Kelly Engel, Amy Mendenhall, Allison Snider, teacher Marie
Wells and Sarah Ravan, kneeling.
At a team meeting are Betsy Newman, a first-year English teacher and
assistant forensics coach, rear; and Sarah Ravan, a sophomore who
took first place in the region in storytelling.
by CNB